Hi, everyone. Welcome to the third season of transformative leadership conversations with me, your host, Winnie da Silva. “Storytelling is our most powerful tool for changing anything in the world today.” This compelling quote, from one of my upcoming guests Holly Gordon, sums up my aspirational goal for this podcast. Sharing stories to change you, your leadership, your team, your company. As an executive coach and leadership strategist for over 20 years, I've come to know and work with some pretty incredible people. This podcast is designed to share their inspiring stories and practical ideas you can use to develop yourself as a leader, as a person. The first release for Season 3 is coming on March 1st. I’d like to give you a taste of these ten episodes you’re going to love. Sarah Snyder is the Founding Director of The Rose Castle Foundation whose mission is to equip leaders with the skills, tools, and habits needed to transform conflict. My conversation with Sarah is like opening a set of Russian dolls; you encounter one story or insight just to discover another one – and another. You know she’s for real when her other job is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Special Advisor for Reconciliation. Peter Gordon is the Chief Investment Officer and Head of Commercial Real Estate Debt for a large asset management firm. Peter is the type of leader who instinctively forms his leadership philosophy and approach and then realizes there are a few books out there that back up those instincts. Peter’s leadership analogies range from parenthood, tennis, golf, political ideologies…and through his metaphors we gain some fabulous insights. Holly Gordon is the Chief Impact Officer for Participant Media. While she doesn’t make the award-winning movies her company produces (An Inconvenient Truth, Spotlight, Green Book), Holly and her team build campaigns around these films to inspire action and change by partnering with grassroots organizations and activists on the front lines. Holly’s fascinating background paired with her breadth and depth of thinking on social change, storytelling, leadership - I can’t help but hope that Holly will write a book someday soon. Next up will be a conversation with both Peter AND Holly. Yes, Peter and Holly are married and in this special episode, Peter and Holly generously share some details of how their marriage has influenced their own unique leadership perspectives. Our personal relationships are so important in shaping who we are, how we think and how we approach our work. You’ll love this compelling example of a relationship that is playful yet serious about ideas around leadership and more which will cause you to reflect on your own relationships and their impact on you. Cassandra Rose is a Founding Partner and DEI Practice Co-Lead at Meritarc, a human capital software company and provider of advisory services. Cassandra helps organizations fully leverage their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy and enables HR and People Leaders to connect the value of their talent with their mission. Cassandra is also a compelling speaker on the topics of benefits equity and centering the BIPOC employee journey for transformative employee engagement. Our conversation will challenge your thinking on all these topics – and more! Lindsey Saletta is the Chief Operating Officer at west-bourne, a food and lifestyle brand that began as the first zero-waste neighborhood restaurant in New York City and is now piloting conscious capitalism in the food industry. I love Lindsey’s clarity on her own strengths and how those same strengths can sometimes be barriers to growth. Lindsey is that ambitious and vibrant leader you wish you could call to help you navigate your own career. So, here’s your chance! Ajay Easo is the Managing Director at Accenture Interactive and Fjord. Ajay is a “leader of leaders” and has had multiple career iterations during his 21-year tenue at Accenture. Ajay is a big thinker and strategically keeps several balls in the air. But his real superpower is leading without others even realizing it. He prefers to elevate and collaborate with people rather than always having to lead from the front. Our conversation touches on his leadership and the future trends of leadership itself. Marianne Manseau is an Area Vice President at Pernod Ricard, a wine and spirits company whose ambition is to turn every social interaction into a genuine sharing experience. While Marianne’s friendly spirit is immediately apparent, underneath that smile is an extremely intentional, hardworking, and ambitious woman. Marianne shares her experience learning to be vulnerable, why intention matters and how her father and three brothers helped shaped the person she is today. Gary Hamilton is a Senior Vice President and Healthcare Practice Leader for WSP which provides management and consultancy services to the built and natural environment. With 25 years of experience in designing and building healthcare facilities globally, Gary is passionate not just about his work but how he shows up as a leader and being a role model for others. Gary’s flair for connecting with people and pushing himself past boundaries is inspirational. The Band of Sisters is a tribe of six women who all met when they worked at PepsiCo. I had the pleasure of interviewing three of the six sisters: Lori Marcus, Katie Lacey and Cie Nicholson. These seasoned and savvy women bring a fresh perspective on improving the lives of women in the workplace as they focus on equipping organizations to build more inclusive and productive cultures. Their book You Should Smile More: How to Dismantle Gender Bias in the Workplace will be coming out this fall. Our conversation offers a sampling on this topic with some super practical ways women and men can proactively support women at work.
